1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to cooling systems. More specifically, aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to microchannel heat sink cooling systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Modern electronics, such as computer processor chips, are capable of generating enormous amounts of heat in a small amount of space. Cooling such components can present many design challenges. Environmental factors can further complicate design considerations. For instance, on military aircraft, where the size, weight, power consumption, and durability of any hardware (such as cooling systems) are factors, features such as small size, light weight, low power consumption, and rugged design are benefits. Air cooling is especially attractive on such platforms. Otherwise, fuel or another fluid that can serve as a coolant must be routed or configured in such a fashion as to remove the heat.
Two examples of cooling systems for electronics and other heat sources include microchannel heat sinks and jet impingement cooling. With microchannel heat sinks, coolant (for example, air) is directed between microchannels, that is, narrow openings between closely spaced surfaces (for example, thin fins of metal) that are heated from the electronics. Microchannel heat sinks rely on the large surface area exposed to the coolant to dissipate the heat. Sufficient coolant pressure must be present to carry away heat from the surface area via the microchannel. Jet impingement cooling, on the other hand, uses narrow high-speed jets of coolant directed at the heat source, causing rapid cooling, limited primarily to the region receiving the direct impact of the jets. Microchannel heat sinks can suffer from insufficient coolant pressure to dissipate the heat from the large surface area while jet impingement cooling can suffer from the somewhat localized area of heat rejection.
Effective air cooled microchannel arrays with parallel flow on a micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) scale, however, is prohibited by unfavorable flow patterns in simple rectangular arrays of fins. The primary problem encountered is the inability of the flow stream to penetrate a sufficient depth into the fin core to achieve the desired fin efficiency.
Thus, there is a need for a compact, air-cooled, microchannel heat sink with a favorable flow pattern that uses minimal air mover power and minimal flow rate.